Eotaet steam efgine



(No Model.) u W. GIEE.

AEO'JLERY STEAM ENGINE.

Patented Aug, 28

Y 'n I UNITED STATES PATENT I- OFFICE.

WALTER GIBE, or rrrrsEURG, Assiegyon `'ro HrMsELE `AND A, e. MILLiKEm t e e or MILLVALE BOROUGH,'PENNsYLvANIA.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.n

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,125, datedAugust 28, 1883.`

Application filed Marh 2 3, 1883. (No model.) d l" To all whom it may concern:` i i Be it known that I, WALTER GIBB, `of Pitts? burg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented orjdiscovered a new and "y useful Improvement in'Rotary `Steam-Engines;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a o full, clear, concise, andexact description there-` y of, reference 'being `hadnto the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification,

1o in' which-like letters indicating like parts- Figures 1, 2, and 3 are transverse sectional y, views of my improved engine, taken inthe A i planes of the lines w," x af, and as? x2, Fig. 4r; y and Figs. 4-and 5 are longitudinal sectional viewstakeninfthe planes of thelinesyy andI ments in rotary steam-engines; and indgeneral y termsit consists of 3 certain combinations of a 2o rotaryhead carrying radially-moving blades or pistonswithin a cylindrical case, Withprotainingports and passages'for conveying steam abutments, and an automaticallyoperating ina'fter more fully described and claimed. i d A In the drawings, A represents a cylindrical 3o shell with heads a at mounted on an axial shaft, B. Hub extensions AA2 are Vcast on these heads surrounding the shaft, one, A, extending within the cylinder-chamber from l i from head a, l These hub extensions are employed informing stuffing-.boxes B, of the y ,e usual or any suitable construction, to pack the shaftand preventleakage. i u

y y On the shaft, betw `enthe hub A and head A4o a, is secured a rotaryhead, C, having a cylin-` drical body or shell, c, extending irom `head to ,head of the cylinder, and equalin diameter e y tothe distance between the curved abutments u i a2, `formed on opposite sides of the inner surf 345 face'of the cylindrical shell A; The interior or' the "cylinder, between the outershell `and inner head, is thus divided into two Acrescent-` shaped or `semi-annular chambers, A3 A3, by

i e the curved abutment-walls. ithin the body il y, 5o of the cylinder-head (l are made longitudinal `invention relates to certain `improve` vision for packing such blades and head and compensating for wear, a reversing-valve con-A 2 to and from the cylinder on either side of its cut-oli for regulating supply `of steam, as hered head Yagand` the othenA?, extending without D, which are moved outward by stems D', of

plate form, bearing by their inner enlarged and rounded heads, cl, upon the periphery of a lobed 5 5 cam, A, which latter is cast upon the inner end of hub `extension A', and is inclosed within the chamber `formed by the extended shell c3 of lthe rotary head. The periphery of this cam is formed with 'reference to giving uni- `.6o form distance between it and the inner surface y of thecylinderfshell, sothat the blades willl be pushed inward as they pass the abutments, and outward against the shell-'surface on either side of theV abutments In order to secure elastic pressure of the blades upon the shells surface, springs d are seated between the ends of stems D and blades D, thereby compensat ing for wear in use.` For like purposes pack= ing-plates D2 aresecuredto the end edges of 7o the blades D by lugs d2, fitting into grooved recesses d3. Springs d in rear of the pack ing-plates hold them against the inner face of* head a',- also, anw annular groove, m, is made in the inner face of head a, in which is secured packing m', to bear againsttheabutting end of the rotary head and prevent leakage of steam past such end.V In order to prevent leakage `past the abutments a2, packing a3 of any suitable kind is inserted in inclined or 8o diagonal grooves a4, formed in and across the abutments. The inclination thus given` to the packing a3 causes the blades to cross the same with a shear. motion, thereby preventing the -blades from catching thereon; also, by round.- 8 5 I in number, formed in the quarters ofthe abut- 9 5 ments a2, which open into the chambers A3 by slotted ports-e e. y `Passages el lead fromthese` chambers EA Eu and register with portsi'iiz, opening into chambered passages i it for sup` ply and "exhaust, which are formed in-and roo through the body of a circular reversing-Valve, I. This valve is seated in a suitable recess, I, formed in the head a against one end of cylinder O. The valve is free to take rotary motion on its seat, a sufficient range being given it by hand-lever I2 to causethe two supply-ports fi 'i to register with leither of the passages e, and thereby direct steam to either side of the abutments at pleasure. At the same time one or the other of the exhaustports z" i is made to register with the passage e2 on the opposite side of the abutments. Consequently by shifting the valve on its seat steam-pressure may be applied to either side of the blades D, thereby causing them to rotate in either direction at pleasure. The exhaust-passage i4- extends around one side of the valve, dipping under, and thus crossing the supply-passages i3, and also the lever-socket I3, opening on the lower side by one or the other of two ports, i5, into the escape F. These ports ii are provided with reference to affording steam-escape for either position of the reversing-valve. The supply-passages i3 pass radially through the valve-opening by ports d into recessed chambers n, formed in the side extension, c', of the head C. Radially-divergent wings or shoulders c?, three in number, corresponding to the blades D, divide or separate the chambers n, bearing at their outer extremities against the inner circular wall, il, of the valve. The arcs of these shoulders c2 are greater than the corresponding width of ports f. Consequently the ports are completely closed by such shoulders during a part of the head C. The occurrence and continuance of this closing of the ports is adj usted with relation to the position of the blades within the chambers A3, so as to be operative as a cut-off, admitting and arresting steam supply with reference to securing its economical use in moving tli'e blades in accordance with wellknown principles of steam-engine construction. This may be varied within certain limits sufficient for ordinary requirements by setting the valve I at different positions within the range, giving through steam-passage at c'. This co-operation of the reversing-valve and cut-off, in securing not only the separate functions of reversing motion andregulating supply, but also of varying such cut-off by adjustment of the valve, I consider an important feature in my invention.

Steam is admitted to the separate chambers n through ports n from an annular chamber,

'with the inlet. when the valve I is set for motion in either directionsay at or near either limit of its movement. Between such registering positions, however, the inlet through` of movement of valve I steam maybe shut off entirely, or admittedin any desired amount to drive the blades and shaft in either direction, and the cutoff be regulated to admit and arrest such steam-supply at the desired points with reference to the position of the blades in their rotation. y.

The simplicity and compactness of the apparatus, and the facility afforded for regulating its `movements, peculiarly fit it for many kinds ofwork-for example, on cranes and in shops for doing light work. n

If desired, the cylinder may be fastened. to any suitable support by base-plate P, the shaft being free to revolve; or the shaftfa tubular one by preference-may be xed in position and the cylinder-shell A be rotated, steam supply and exhaust being through the tubular shaft, and in such case the cylinder Amay be employed as a driving-belt pulley..

I claim herein as my inventionl. The combination of cylinder A, having a hub, A', extending within the cylinder from one of its heads, `a lobed cam, A, cast with the inner end of such hub, a rotary chambered head, C, inclosing the cam within its chamber, and having radial slots cin its body, stems D', springs d', and blades D, mounted in the grooves, substantially as set forth.

2. The cylinder A, having recessed head a,

of the cylinder, in combination with a reversing-valve, I, seated in the recess, such valve having separate passages therethrough, and

suitable lever-connection for moving the valve on its seat to register its passages with the axial supply, and with different passages leading to the cylinder-chamber, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of cylinder A, adjustfiable reversing-valve I, andl a rotary cut-off in'closed axially within the valve, such valve vand cut-off having registering-passages therethrough, the cut-off being operative during `part of its rotation, inclosing the steam-supply passages through the valve, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The Combination 0f Cylinder A, having recessed head a, reversing-valve I, seated in such recess, having steam passages therethrough, androtary head C, having extension c and radial shoulders ci, covering and closing theports leading to the valve-supply passages during a portion of the rotation of the` head, substantially as set forth. j 5. The combination of cylinder A, having IIO lrecessed head o and steam-passages e2, and al reversing=valve, I, seated in such-recess,lhav

ing steam supply and exhaust passages there- Y through, With separate ports C i?, opening into fi, and a r, rotary head C, carrying side eXtenson, c', having chambers n, separated by eutoff c2, With annular chamber N, and ports n', substantially as set forth. i In testimony whereof I have hereunto se my hand.

WALTER GIBB. Witnesses:

R. II. WHITTLESEY, C. L. PARKER. 

